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Shops help new businesses in Africa Village Enterprise Fund, which helps start small businesses ’ve just had an education on among the rural poor in East Menlo Park’s retail estab- Africa to give them a sustainable lishments. income. With our economy in In recent weeks I have marched the tank, the staff canceled the into our city’s shops and restau- usual fall fundraising banquet. rants to organize an event called In this environment, some are “Shop and Dine Out.� In the inclined not to donate to intermidst of an economic down- national charities with the local turn, I discovered two contra- unemployment rate at 12 perdictory trends: While many cent. So, the Village Enterprise established merchants’ revenues Fund came up with the idea are down significantly, to support our local our town is experiencdowntown businesses ing a resurgence in and start small busiinnovative boutiques nesses in East Africa. and eateries. In honor of World I met a fascinatAnti-Poverty Day on ing and passionate Oct. 17, numerous group of people. Menlo Park shops Farnad Fakoor left a and restaurants are career in health care partnering with VilGUEST to use her creative lage Enterprise Fund OPINION skills designing gorthrough Shop and geous made-to-order Dine Out by donatcouture (“Farnad� on Univer- ing a portion of their revenue sity Drive). Irina Feltsman was on that day to VEF. inspired while standing in her Those donations will go far closet to leave the electronics in rural East Africa. On Santa supply firm she started 20 years Cruz Avenue, a small boutique ago and get back to a small busi- can cost $75,000 to launch; a ness. She opened the clothing restaurant can require $1 milboutique Milana C (on Chest- lion to $2 million. In East Afrinut Street) with Biana Fridman. ca, VEF invests $200 to start a Even our established storefronts business, providing business are setting new trends — like training, $150 in seed capital, Marche’s upcoming Chocolate and a year of mentoring to help Prix Fixe menu or Left Bank’s each business succeed. new, lower pricing and specialty In Africa, the local businessFrench daily entrees. es look completely different Shop and Dine Out is the from ours — yet the aspirabrainchild of a local nonprofit, tions are the same. Apofia, a
By Debbie Hall
I
L E T T ER S Continued from previous page
participate, be that in a lower level fitness mode or at a higher level athletic intensity. Duncan Goodhew has pointed out that 30 minutes of activity in the water is worth 45 minutes of the same activity on land. And a new study shows that swimming cuts men’s risk of dying by about 50 percent compared to runners, walkers and couch potatoes. Menlo Swim and Sport at Burgess makes activity in the water available in numerous time slots during the day and throughout the week. They do so across the spectrum of those who want to do their own thing, those who wish to have a structured vigorous workout, those who want to have a gentle group activity, those who want to improve from where they are, those who want their children to learn water competency, and other skills. At Burgess, before the pools we now have were built, there
were many hours during the day and week that the pool was not open for swimming. Not so now that Menlo Swim and Sport is making the pools available to the entire community year round. As a 78-year-old swimmer who receives great benefit, physically and emotionally, from being a part of the swimming programs at Burgess all during the year, I am very grateful to Menlo Swim and Sport for making it possible for me to maintain my good health in a safe and clean and nurturing environment. Vivian Knudsen Johsens Camino a los Cerros, Menlo Park
Assemblyman helped on chloramine bill Editor: I want to thank Assembly member Ira Ruskin for working so very hard to get HR11 passed in the state Assembly. He listened to his constituents who are having adverse dermal, inhalant and digestive problems since the 2004 changeover from chlorine to chloramine in the
woman I met in rural Uganda, strives for the same success as Farnad and Irina do here. Widowed with four children, she struggled to find enough food to eat and every day was consumed with that one task. She had no picture of her future, just the struggle of getting through today. Through VEF’s program, she learned how to start and run a business, keeping some profit for her needs and investing more in her small venture. She now raises pigs, goats, and vegetables for sale in the local market. She beamed as she showed me her new one-room brick house and proudly announced she can pay tuition for secondary school. I invite you to discover Menlo Park’s great variety of world foods, creative gifts, green home decor, fun children’s clothes and toys, and women’s clothing, ranging from the whimsical to the sophisticated. Come Shop and Dine Out on Oct. 17 to benefit our local merchants and help needy but deserving people like Apofia provide food and education for their children. We can break the cycle of poverty and make a difference — helping local merchants and launching new micro-entrepreneurs in Africa.
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log off and eat! 3-courses for only $35 at more than 85 ďŹ ne restaurants
Debbie Hall is a Menlo Park resident and board chair of Village Enterprise Fund. water system. This resolution finally addresses chloramine and requests that the state Department of Public Health review the public health concerns relating to the use of chlorine and chloramine as a drinking water disinfectant. The resolution also asks the department to conduct studies, particularly human health studies, as appropriate, to provide necessary public health information to further clarify the human health effects of chloramine; and to formally request the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct scientific testing of the immediate, acute, and long-term health effects of chlorine, chloramine, and other practical alternatives, when used as a secondary water disinfectant. As someone who suffers with the digestive symptoms as well as my husband suffering with the dermal symptoms, I sincerely appreciate the possibility of finally having human health studies showing these adverse side effects. Claudette Main Foster City
Silicon Valley Restaurant Week Oct 14-21 Visit SiliconValleyRestaurantWeek.com for participating restaurants
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October 7, 2009 N The Almanac N 19